Happy Birthday

Two years of writing about Doctor Who, a show that has influenced me, enthralled me, mesmerised me. Made me laugh, made me cry, made me be the best version of myself I can be.

Over the past two years I’ve gained so many friends, and it would simply be impossible to thank each and every person who’s helped me along this journey. I know that the Doctor Who community online can be prickly, and it’s because each and every one of us are so passionate about this silly little show that’s captured our imaginations and our hearts.

Doctor Who has been with me since 2005, when a young, much more optimistic me sat down to watch Rose, and I’ve never missed an episode since. In the years that have followed, I got into the classic years of the show, and more recently into the brilliant world of Big Finish.

No matter how long you’ve been following the site, whether it be from the very cringey beginning (seriously, find it. It’s still here, and it’s awful) or if this is the first article you’ve read (sorry, it’s probably quite confusing), let me thank you. My stupid little site might not be the most popular Doctor Who website in the world, or the most professional; but to know that I can connect with fellow Whovians really makes my molecules tingle.

Now, you know how the Queen has her Honours List on one of her birthdays every year? Well, that’s what I’m going to do. These are by no means everyone that I appreciate, but these are Whovians who are doing awesome things that might be going under some people’s radar.

Sam Richard Bentley– A great artist, a great guy, and a great friend. You might not know this, but Sam created the GallifreyArchive logo, as well as loads of Doctor Who related digital artwork. Click his name to check out his site!

The Time Ladies– Doctor Who is kickass. Feminism is kickass. Looking at the women in Who is kickass. So when the brilliant Beth, Kezia, Em and Hattie got together and made this site, you know it’s one to watch.

Tom Dix/ EpicWho– Now, Tom is probably the most recognisable name in my Honours List, but he’s a real great guy. His content is superb, we partnered up in the conception of WhoPride, and any time I visit Cardiff, he’s always one of the highlights of being there (especially since the Doctor Who Experience won’t be there soon).

Guy Adams– The only “professional” person on the GallifreyArchive Honours List, Guy Adams is like a brilliantly sarcastic mentor. As an aspiring scriptwriter, having a person like Guy to look up to is a brilliant gift. He let’s me tear apart any qualm I may have with his releases, and he’ll always listen to me and my stupid ideas. If you want to work in the creative market, I sincerely suggest you get yourself a Guy. Just not my Guy. He’s mine.

BigFinish.com– Some of you might think this is an odd one. Why should I let a site be on my first ever Honours List? They’ve helped me immensely. I’d say that at least 70% of my readership found me either through a review quote on Big Finish’s website, or they found me looking for reviews. I was considering thanking certain members of Big Finish (bar Guy) but I decided that there’s been nobody in Big Finish that I’ve come across that hasn’t been more than helpful.

So there we are, the sites second birthday! Thank you for being here, and I’ll see you next year for our third!

Today marks the 53rd birthday of Christopher Eccleston, the Ninth Doctor! We might only have had one series with this incarnation of the Time Lord, but it’s undeniable that Eccleston had the task of bringing the show back from the dead, and did it fantastically. Without this man’s performance as the Doctor, we might not have the show today; so he truly is a Hero of Who.

Happy Birthday Christopher Eccleston!

Who would have thought that we’re turning 1 today? In some respects it feels like I’ve been doing GallifreyArchive only a matter of minutes, and on the other hand, it feels like I’ve been doing this a hell of a lot longer. The website has grown more popular than I could ever have imagined; at the time of writing this, the site has had over 27,000 views, which is absolutely insane. Through the website I’ve gained lots of new friends and contacts, which hopefully means that the site will grow and grow into bigger and better things. Next month we’re collaborating with the lovely folks at EpicWhofor the LGBT Month and I’m sure there will be a lot more collaboration in the future.

It’s not a birthday though without presents, and you’ve already given me presents by making all of this possible and by funding me to write a book (how insane is that?) so it’s time to give something back! Until 11:59PM tonight UK time, anyone who tweets using the hashtag #HappyBirthdayGallifreyArchive will be entered into a competition to win one of four Classic Doctor Who DVD’s, either The Ark In Space, The Ambassadors of Death, The Leisure Hive and The Brain of Morbius! I know it’s not a lot, but I wanted to give something back as a token of my appreciation.

I suppose I might as well say it…

Happy Birthday GallifreyArchive!

He’s undoubtedly one of the most popular Doctor’s ever, and it still seemingly a big part of the public conscious when talking about Doctor Who; it’s David Tennant’s 45th birthday today! We were first introduced (albeit briefly) to the Tenth Doctor in the closing moments of Parting of The Ways and we last saw him in the 50th anniversary special, The Day of The Doctor. If you miss Tennant’s portrayal of the Tenth Doctor though, don’t worry as next month he’s back with Donna Noble in three new stories from Big Finish!

Here’s wishing Mr Tennant all the best on this special day!

Happy Birthday David Tennant!

Doctor’s birthdays are apparently like busses; you wait a while for one, and then two come along one after the other! Both to the Doctor’s played by a Peter too, it’s my pleasure to say Happy Birthday to the actor who is currently playing everybody’s favourite Time Lord, Peter Capaldi; who has given us some of the best performances from any actor playing the Doctor in the history of the show; long may he continue! (And he better continue for a long time otherwise there’ll no doubt be trouble.)

Here’s wishing Mr Capaldi all the best on this special day!

Happy Birthday Peter Capaldi!

It’s the 65th birthday of the actor who portrayed the Fifth Doctor, Mr. Peter Davison; also known for his character in All Creatures Great and Small. He’s also been at the heart of one of the most complicated relationships in history, being the father to the Doctor’s daughter in real life, who married the Tenth Doctor in real life, meaning that he’s his own father-in-law in a timey-wimey sort of way.

Here’s wishing Peter all the best on this special day!

Happy Birthday Peter Davison!

It’s the 52nd birthday of the actor who had one of the most difficult jobs on television, bringing back Doctor Who to our screens in 2005, yes it’s the birthday of Christopher Eccleston! One of the most illusive and loved Doctor’s, only being in 13 stellar episodes, it was this man that personally grabbed my metaphorical hand and said “Run!” which is exactly what I’ve done with the show ever since.

Here’s wishing Chris all the best on this special day and hoping that one day he may come back, yes… he may come back!